Written in the Spirals
by Lazebe
Summary: A story idea for a crossover of epic proportions. This chapter is my concept chapter that includes characters from Naruto, TTGL and Rurouni Kenshin. Naruto is pulled into a series of battles where he is competing in a tournament on the whim of a strange captor that is pitting them against one another to defend their homes. Please R&R and tell me what you think.


_Disclaimer: __**I do not own any of the characters or animes, derp.**_

**Author's note: **This is a story idea for a HUGE crossover that will span multiple anime and maybe even some video games. I know it's definitely one of many attempts to write a story like this, but I hope you are able to enjoy it anyways.

oOo

Let's go.

Oh

Written in the stars

A million miles away

A message to the main

Oh

Seasons come and go

But I will never change

And I'm on my way

oOo

Naruto looked up into the sky as the global effect of the moon's eye plan made the air shimmer briefly in a cascading array of lights as he and the rest of his world fell under its spell.

He turned to look at Sasuke, who was lying on his back in the rubble and staring back at him. Naruto smirked and said, "Are you afraid?"

Sasuke grinned and coughed up blood as he shook his head slowly, retorting with "Not at all. How about you, scaredy cat?"

They smiled. Naruto turned to look at the world around him as the eternal genjutsu took effect. He watched as the dead around him disappeared and how the ground began to change from rubble to soft grass. The giant crater in front of him that was caused by one of his attacks on Madara changed into a lake.

In the end, did he accomplish anything if the outcome was this?

"Naruto."

Naruto turned to look back at Sasuke who had his sharingan activated. His eyebrows raised slightly when he noticed the intricate pattern in his friend's eyes.

"Sasuke, you shouldn't exert yourself. You should at least try and… enjoy this new world we're going to live in."

Sasuke shook his head, "No, Naruto. We each will live in our own world. The moon's eye plan would never work if it produced a genjutsu in which we could interact. People, under a spell or not, are meant to conflict with one another."

He paused for a moment as he stood up onto both of his feet, climbing slowly and in pain as he tried to balance himself. Naruto reached out to give him a hand, but Sasuke just held out his palm and shook his head.

"It's that conflict," Sasuke continued, "that I now realize is what makes life so worth living. It should have been obvious to me a long time ago. It's plain in sight even in our shinobi system: we attack and sabotage one another just on the off chance that we'd get more missions than the other village, we rank our shinobi and our missions and have them compete amongst themselves for higher payouts in both wealth and prestige."

He nodded after pausing again, collecting his thoughts quietly before he continued, "It's that competition, that killing, that stark contrast to the times where we work together, to the times we see a child being born, those bad moments in our lives are what make the good ones so good, so precious to us."

Naruto, meanwhile, stood uncharacteristically quiet as he listened to his friend speak. He wasn't quite sure what he was getting at, but he knew that Sasuke didn't just talk for no reason whatsoever. As long as he's known him, Sasuke had always been the type of person to make a clear and concise point whenever he spoke, unlike himself. He always just wanted people's attention. He could care less if they found what he had to say interesting.

"It's Itachi murdering all of my family and my clan that allowed me to see just how beautiful this whole war really was." Sasuke released a soft chuckle from his lips as he walked past Naruto and watched as the bodies all around them disappeared little by little. He and Naruto had gotten separated from Sakura and the rest of their friends during the final bout with Madara as their fight took them to the skies. They watched in horror as one of Madara's attacks claimed the entire landscape, possibly killing hundreds of their comrades in one fell swoop.

They fought with Madara and lost, neither of them forgetting about the terrible explosion that occurred on the ground below them.

His eyes scanned what looked like an active minefield out before him. He wasn't sure how, but there was still hope in his heart. Somewhere, out there, Sakura was still alive. He was sure of it.

Naruto shook his head, "Beautiful?" He couldn't even look at his friend. "How can something so ugly be beautiful? This war… it's taken all of the people I cared about… almost…"

Sasuke nodded and turned back to his friend, "You're right. But there was one important thing that I learned from this war… I want you to take it with you, wherever it is you end up."

Naruto smirked and said, "What are you talking about? It's only a matter of time until this genjutsu pulls us in."

Sasuke nodded, "Right… except you."

Naruto was about to speak, but Sasuke interrupted him saying, "Before you ask what I mean, I want you to remember this: whenever people, who are competitive in nature, come together to work on one goal, there is still hope."

Sasuke smirked and said, "Even in times like this…"

Naruto shook his head. "You're looney."

"Are you going to give up already? Didn't you promise Sakura something important? What about Hinata? Didn't you tell her you would have faith in yourself?"

Naruto arched a brow, "When did you…"

"Goodbye, Naruto. I know we'll see each other again. I have faith in you. Please believe in yourself, because you're our last hope."

Naruto looked up and watched as Sasuke's eyes began to bleed. He took a step back in shock until suddenly the world around him disappeared, Sasuke included.

When he took in his new surroundings, Naruto found himself travelling through a strange tunnel that swerved and dipped and turned until he crashed through a barrier of what appeared to be solid light. The light shattered like glass as he suddenly found himself shrouded in darkness, uncertain of what was going on.

oOo

For years, nothing. He wasn't sure if a decade passed or a millennium. For all he knew, he was no longer living, although he could still feel his body and his mind seemed to be intact somehow. The boredom was excruciating, especially for him, and when he found himself in front of an array of bright, swirling lights shaped like a spiral he couldn't help but cry. To his surprise, he could feel the wetness on his cheeks. He touched his hand to his face and realized that he could now see his body as well as feel it. He took a moment to look carefully at his skin to see if there were any wrinkles. Not finding any, he wondered if all of that time he was lost in nothingness was only an instant? It felt like so much longer.

What happened, exactly? Whatever mental instability might have developed through time in the void, Naruto felt as if he had become a clean slate when he saw the galaxy of stars swirling into a single point in the center.

His memories of his friends came in much clearer as he watched the surreal glow of the stars before him as he floated toward it.

"Where am I?" he asked aloud, surprised that he was able to hear himself for the first time in what felt like years.

_[p Where you were always meant to be. d]_

"Who said that?" Naruto looked around as he floated upside down in space, his body twisting and turning around to try and find who had spoken.

He growled and yelled at whoever it was who spoke, telling him to come out or he was going to kick his ass. He heard laughter and Naruto only got more and more riled up. Eventually, Naruto shut up and just sat cross-legged as he floated toward the stars at a steady pace.

Wherever he was, he had finally arrived somewhere. He saw a strange purple floor that was barely a different color from the pitch black of the universe around him. He landed on the 'ground' and looked all around him, watching in awe as he found he was able to reach out and touch a star that was floating nearby.

"I never knew they were so small."

_[p Don't be ridiculous. Stars are several thousand times the size of the puny rock you were living on before you arrived here. I have made some changes to that 'body' of yours to suit my needs. d]_

Naruto cringed, "Suit your needs? Who the hell is this and what the hell do you mean by that? That made me feel _totally_ uncomfortable just now."

_[p Fool! Listen closely. Your true body is being sent to the next location. You will meet someone there whom you must defeat… I watched what was happening to your world and I plucked you out of the portal that friend of yours cast you into. I am the watcher of many worlds and you were quite interesting. I expect that you will impress me. For your sake, I hope you live up to my expectations. d]_

"Someone I have to beat? Who is that?"

Naruto looked around him as the stars disappeared and he found himself standing in the center of a field with a kunai in his hand.

He took a step back as he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him several feet away with his sword drawn. The man wore clothes reminiscent of some of the daimyo's men from back home, but Naruto wasn't quite sure where he was exactly.

"I was told that, if I wished to advance, then I would have to kill you," he said, a conflicted emotion written all over his face as he stared the blond down.

"Yeah," Naruto said, "I was told something similar."

The man standing in front of him didn't look very intimidating or even dangerous, except the look in his eyes told him that he was just as much a killer as someone like Zabuza, though possibly more akin to Haku than the demon of the bloody mist.

"Please, do not hold this against me. I have no choice in the matter."

Naruto nodded at the red headed man with the scar on his cheek and said, "Right… likewise."

He gripped the handle of the kunai and smirked, tossing it aside as he began channeling chakra.

The man in front of him narrowed his eyes and set himself into his stance as he brought his sword in front of him.

When Naruto thought he had enough, he reached out with his hand and readied a rasengan, smirking at the man as the sword wielder rushed him.

To his terror, however, Naruto saw no rasengan in his hand and quickly found that he had no time to figure out what was going on after he was struck down with a series of quick slashes from his assailant's peculiar sword.

As blood gushed out of his wounds, Naruto collapsed onto the ground as the ronin turned to look down on his victim. "You're still alive? I shall end it for you quickly so that you no longer have to feel any pain," he offered, lifting his sword up into the air as he prepared to end him.

"Wait!" Naruto gasped, looking up at the red headed man as he coughed up blood. How did this happen so quickly? What was going on with his chakra? Naruto wanted some sort of answer, but the only thing he could think to ask was, "What… is your name?"

The swordsman smiled and knelt beside him as he sheathed his blade. "Himura Kenshin… And yours, if I may be so bold as to ask?"

Naruto smirked and pointed his thumb at his chest even though it was so painful to move. "Name's Uzumaki Naruto. Pleasure."

Kenshin bowed his head slightly, his eyes closing while nodding, "Yes. A pleasure and an honor to meet you, Uzumaki-san. I am truly regretful that we could not have met in some other fashion. That I am."

Naruto nodded. "What did… the voice say?" he asked, suddenly remembering what he meant to ask him.

Kenshin said, "He told me that my world was at stake. That if I were to lose, then so to would I lose my world and everyone in it… I can't lose those people that I love, that I cannot."

Naruto nodded, "I getcha…" He coughed and laughed in pain. "I should have known that there was something up with my abilities before I arrived here… maybe I should have hung onto that knife."

Kenshin shook his head. "You made the best decision, though I can't believe you're able to endure this pain you must be feeling without screaming out. You are certainly a man of worth, though I fear that I would have defeated you just as easily had you used that knife."

Naruto chuckled. "Not too humble are you?"

Kenshin bowed his head apologetically, "When it comes to my swordsmanship… that I am not."

His eyes slowly began to close. Naruto wasn't sure what it was going to feel like to die. He thought he knew from all of the times he was pulled to the brink, but one didn't know what it would feel like to jump off of the edge of a cliff until they jumped.

He smiled and said, "I… see…" as he perspired, his eyes not closing all of the way. Kenshin placed his palm on his opponent's eyes and closed them for him, then he stood up and waited for further instructions from the voice of the watcher.

oOo

When Naruto's eyes opened again, he found himself standing on the purple platform in space again with the stars wrapped around him like a swarm of fireflies.

He shook his head and said, "What the hell, 'tebayo! You didn't tell me that I was not going to have any chakra, you jerk!"

_[p I suppose you're correct. That does not change the fact that you lost that battle. I am willing to make a deal with you in order to give you one more chance, but these chances come with a price. d]_

Naruto rolled his eyes, "And what's that exactly? Why the hell are you keeping me here in the first place?"

_[p This is not something for you to know. As for the price of this second and subsequent chances, I am willing to exchange your life for one life from your own world each time that you die. This will allow you to continue to compete against the others. d]_

Naruto glared, though he didn't know where to look to show the 'watcher' that he was pissed off. "Quit being a dick. Like I'd agree to something so messed like that!"

_[p Then you're willing to trade __**all**__ of the lives of the people in your world for your failure? As soon as you agree to your loss, I will take your world and devour it, killing everyone that you know and love and using them for more games like this in the future. d]_

Naruto flinched. "Are you serious?" He swallowed nervously when he didn't hear anything from him. Whoever this person was, he was a real bastard, Naruto thought.

What was he going to do? Obviously he couldn't lose here again, and he couldn't give up now. But what did he have to trade? He couldn't exchange someone else's life for this… who else was there, except…?

oOo

"_Are you going to give up already? Didn't you promise Sakura something important? What about Hinata? Didn't you tell her you would have faith in yourself?"_

oOo

Naruto eased his grip and smirked. He looked up at the galaxy in front of him and jabbed his chest with his thumb saying, "Well, stupid watcher, isn't it obvious what I'm gonna do?!"

Naruto pointed at the galaxy, figuring whoever it was he was talking to, it was coming from there. "Fine then, in exchange for my loss today… take my life once this whole thing is over. Win or lose."

_[p Hm-hm. I could tell that you were quite an interesting creature. We have an accord. In exchange for your life at the end of this intergalactic, multi-dimensional tournament, you will get one more chance to continue. If you die again, however, the only option you have is failure, as I will no longer take the lives of your loved ones in exchange for any further mistakes. Remember that your powers are limited to put you and your opponent at an even level so as to provide an entertaining battle for me. I don't want you crushing your opponents using that little 'chakra' power of yours. d]_

"_Whatever. You better explain that whole thing more clearly before you send me off to-"_

_oOo_

Naruto's eyes widened when he once again found himself standing on another battlefield. In front of him, walking toward him in a field of grass with a small pond nearby, Naruto saw a man that was the epitome of the word _wild_. His hair was a deep blue color, he walked around in baggy pants, shirtless and with tattoos on his arms and shoulders. In one hand, he pointed a giant sword in his direction as he yelled at the top of his lungs as he kicked his leg up and leaned against a small boulder in front of him.

"Oi-oi-oi-oi-Oiiiii! Listen here, you bastard! You can't just come here and expect to win a fight against team Gurren when their home is at stake! You'd think I'd lose to the likes of someone as lowly as you who has to dress like a damn orange to get any attention! Who the hell do you think I am!"

Naruto arched a brow and looked at his hand. This time he gripped the kunai fiercely in his hand as he turned to look up at the man standing in front of him in such a loud, boisterous fashion.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but I don't give a damn." He pounded the fist that was holding the kunai into his other hand and widened his stance as he prepared himself, saying, "I'm not going to make the same mistake twice."

The man standing in front of him smirked and put on a pair of shades as he threw the scabbard off of his sword to the ground and pointed the blade anew at the young blond.

"Listen, kid. Don't think I'll roll over easy. You're going to have to come at me with everything you got and then everything everyone else has got to put me down. If not, you won't even knick a hair of mine."

"Same goes to you, except double," Naruto said with a frown on his face.

"Hey! You can't do that! That's just stupid!"

Naruto rolled his eyes and said, "Are we doing this or am I going to just kick your ass and leave?"

"Oh! So you think you're a real tough shit, don't you! Don't you dare look away for even a second or I'll have your head kid! Anyways, what's your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto. Yours?"

"I stare death in the face and make _it _flinch. Me and the rest of team Gurren are known far and wide as strongest and the best gunmen out here on this surface! When you hear of the most manliest of men and see me pointing my blade in your face, you'll forever know that I am Kamina, leader of team Gurren, and you are _not_ Uzumaki Naruto, you are just another stepping stone for us to bust through to the heavens, even if all we have to do it with is our fists, our guts and our hearts!"

And with that, Naruto and Kamina rushed one another like a pair of whirlwinds coming together and becoming one massive windstorm.

oOo

**Author's note: **Just a story idea. I am still working out the kinks, but I wanted to type it out and possibly get some feedback on it. I know it's not the most original idea so far, but I think I can work a very interesting plot that none of you will probably see coming if I do it carefully. As of right now, though, it's basically a "Smash Bros" for anime, I guess. They have a game like that right? Shonen Jump All Stars, or something?

Now, just as a disclaimer, I don't want anyone thinking that I think Kamina or Kenshin are weak in comparison with Naruto, or that Naruto is the strongest and therefore he's going to win. Naruto, to me, is just the character I am most familiar with and so I am using him to tell the story. Character wise, Kamina is definitely my favorite character of all time after or before Naruto. Honestly, I'm not quite sure who I like more. On the one hand, Naruto, to me, is one of my favorites because I've been following the series pretty much since it began. I think they were barely getting ready to do the tests for the chuunin exams when I got into the anime and I immediately caught up with the manga.

He gets a lot of hate that I don't think he deserves. As a character, he has had some moments that really made me enjoy the series and made me keep coming back for more. One of my favorites is when the Sannin first met up and Naruto fought against Kabuto. Him catching the Kunai through his hand like that was amazing and showed that he was willing to do anything it took to protect his friends and allies and win the fight.

As far as Kamina, I have never been so emotionally invested in an anime until I saw Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. I loved everything about that series. No spoilers, but I liked it before and after that game changer of an episode (which I believe was what made the series so gripping to begin with). I'm watching it again right now with my roommate who has never seen it, so that's cool (also watching Spice and Wolf again). If you haven't seen gurren lagann, wtf are you doing reading my story? Go watch that shit NOW. Roar!

Lol, seriously though, it's free on Hulu if you have access to that in your country. Otherwise, stream or buy it somehow. It'll be worth your time and money if you can look past the strange and pretty much unimportant story (maybe someone can convince me that the story was really important. I only cared about the character interactions, honestly, and the bodacious fight scenes).

If I do continue this, I plan on putting a LOT of characters into it and I am even thinking about going outside of anime and bringing in a few video game characters like Lloyd Irving from TOS, Ryudo from Grandia II and Yuri from Shadow Hearts. There are a lot more, obviously, but those are some of my favorites. If you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to list them to me. If this story annoyed you because you think I'll stop updating my other stuff, sorry, but I can't help the way I write. I have about 8k words of Gilded done for those of you who have waited patiently (or completely forgotten about it, lol last update was September of last year) and I am currently working on the last couple of scenes of the next chapter of Winds.

Thanks for looking through my extremely long author's note if you did. I hope you enjoyed the premise. Just to be clear, if I do pick this idea up and roll with it, then this all will be much more deeply fleshed out than it is in this chapter. I have a few betas for Winds and I may ask them if they'd like to help me with this as well, but if you are interested in beta-ing this story, let me know.

BTW, please visit us at NarutoLovesKorra on deviantArt if you are following my other stories and like the pairing. We also have a tumblr page that I am trying to set up so that it's all cool and stuff.

BTWW: There may be pairings in this story, but I am not sure how or if that would even work. We'll see.

:D Much love,

Lazebe.


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